Bruce Denmead, a music teacher and director of bands at Emmaus High School, is known as “Papa D.,” “Mr. D.,” or sometimes just “D.” But make no mistake, when push comes to shove, his instrumental music students know Denmead is in charge. At the close of this school year, Denmead’s seven-year tenure in the East Penn School District will come to a close. He recently announced his resignation because his wife has accepted a position at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Through the course of each workday, Denmead sees more than 160 students. He will miss them. “I like teaching,” he said. “I …

"Go for launch! Go for launch!" Teacher Bob Boehmer is shouting as the fifth graders at Schnecksville Elementary School sit at the controls aboard Space Shuttle Blake, preparing for virtual takeoff into space. The shuttle is rocking back and forth, as the students, computer screens at their fingertips, watch the shuttle exit the launch pad and rocket into space. Today's destination: The International Space Station, where the students, following scientific clues, will partner to try to figure out where a piece of space equipment has fallen. Once they reach a consensus, two of the students will…

The Rev. Martin Milne, of Zion's Lutheran Church, says he’s always dreamed of being the church of the community. “A church that’s not involved with the community and with its people I just don’t think is a church,” he says. Milne became involved with Zion's in 2006, but soon after he started, he realized there wasn’t much that united the area. One day, he had a conversation with an inner-city pastor that gave him an idea. “It almost sounded like [the pastor] felt that… because of where he was located in the city, that all the poor and hungry and homeless were all there,” Milne says. “And I …